Rail-joint fastener.



No. 801,310. PATBNTED 00T. 10, 1905. J. FIDLBR. RAIL JOINT FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED 1\AR.31.1905

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JOHN FIDLER, OF MCLOUTH, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO O. S. OARNAHAN, OF MCLOUTH, KANSAS.

RAIL-JOINT FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 1o, 1905.

Application nei March 31,1905. Serial No. 253,068.

T0 (all whomJ it 711/07/ cm1/cern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FIDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at McLouth, in thecounty of Jefferson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements in Rail-Joint Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-joint fasteners; and my object is to produce means for rigidly and reliably uniting the meeting ends of trackrails without necessitating any modication or change in the construction and organization of the rails, angle-bars, bolts, and nuts now commonly employed.

A further object is to produce a fastener .which is of exceedingly simple, strong, and durable construction and which in the aggregate effects a great saving of bolts in the course of a year.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear, and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of the meeting ends of two rails equipped with a fastener embodying my invention, the fastener showing only two of the four or six bolts which are ordinarily employed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the bolts and showing the slidable wedgeclamp for locking the nuts and bolts in its initial position. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line HI Hl of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a plan view showing the fastener equipped with a key to prevent the slidable wedge-clamp from working back to its initial position. Fig. 5 is a vertical section showing one of the angleplates as forming the slidable wedge-clamp.

In the said drawings, l indicates the meeting ends of two rails provided with the usual bolt-holes 2 in their web portions. 3 indicates the customary angle-plates connecting said rails and provided with the usual holes 4 in line with holes 2.

5 indicates the bolts extending through said alined holes, and 6 the nuts engaging said bolts, all of the parts thus far described being of common and well-known construction and arrangement, it being also understood that the construction is such that the bolts cannot turn as the nuts are screwed home.

In my preferred construction the parts above described are supplemented by what I call a "slidable wedge-clamp bar, this bar being simply a steel bar 7, bearing against the upright portion of one of the angle-plates and fitting snugly beneath the ball of the rail and the base or flange of said angle-plate. This bar may be formed with a longitudinal groove 8, which in width slightly exceeds that of nuts 6, and at intervals the upper and lower walls of said groove are cut away, so as to provide recesses 9 large enough for the nuts to turn in, and concentrically of each of said openings 9 the bar is provided with a slot 10i-n width slightly exceeding the diameter of the bolt, each slot extending longitudinally, and at the upper and lower sides of each slot the reduced portion of the bar increases in thickness to the right, as` at 11, so as to form a wedge between the rearside of the nut and the opposing face of the angle-plate. In practice this slidable wedge-clamp]7 as the bar 7 is preferably termed, is provided with openings 9, slots l0, and wedge portions 1l, corresponding in number to the bolts employed, the wedge-clamp being disposed, as hereinbefore explained, with relation to the rail so that the bolts shall project through slots l0 centrally of the openings 9 and their nuts occupy the last-named openings, as shown in Fig. 2. A wrench is then employed to turn the nuts until they are screwed a suilicient distance upon the bolts, the nuts being finally left by the wrench in such position that they shall lie wholly within the plane of the groove 8. A trackman then strikes the right-hand end of the wedge-clamp with a maul or sledgehammer and drives the same to the left, this action driving' the wedge portions 11 farther between the juxtaposed angle-plate and the nuts, so as to not only clamp the angle-plates and the clamp-bar tightly against opposite sides of the rails without imposing undue torsional strain on the bolts, but also dispose the nuts in groove 8 at the right-hand side of the enlargements 9 thereof, and thus prevent them from turning on the bolts. It will thus be seen that by simply adding the slidable wedge-clamp to the usual equipment the rail-joint is fastened more reliably and is increased in strength. It will furthermore be apparent 'that owing to the fact that the nuts do not have to be screwed so far upon the bolts the latter are not subjected to the great torsional strain which is imposed upon them each time the trackman tightens the nuts upon the bolts. It is vfurthermore obvious that IOO with my improvement the bolts can bevoiled at intervals without the slightest danger of the nuts working loose, and thus not only keep them in condition to permit the nuts to be easily turned or removed, but also guard against corrosion, it being well known in the ordinary construction, where the nuts have to be tightened at intervals and where they are not protected from the weather, and therefore rust to a considerable extent, that the torsional strain imposed upon the bolts in turning the nuts is so great that the bolts are frequently twisted in two.

To guard against any possibility of the wedge-clamp working back to its initial position, where it would offer no resistance to the loosening of the nuts, I provide the wedgeclamp with a substantially vertical dovetail groove l2, wherein is driven a bar or key 13, which bridges the groove 8 to the left of the nut. This bar or key can be withdrawn from position with suitable tools when it is desired to dismantlel the fastener.

In Fig. 5 it will be noticed that one of the angle-plates is provided with a longitudinal groove 8, with an enlargement 9 ot' said groove, and with aslot l() registering with said groove and enlargement, it being also understood that at each side of the slot lO will be formed the wedge portions 11, as hereinbefore described,

so that the angle-plate thus equipped can be struck at one end with a maul or hammer for the purpose of causing said wedge portions to clamp the angle-plates tightly against opposite sides of the rail and the grooved portions to lock the nuts against back rotation.

The construction embodying the supplemental bar is preferred because said bar can be more easily made than an angle-bar provided with the grooves, openings, slots, and wedge portions, and, furthermore, it can be applied to the track as at present constructed, whereas the construction shown in Fig. 5 would necessitate the substitution of a new angle-plate at each rail-joint. The construction of Fig. l has also the advantage of increasing the strength of the joint.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a rail-joint fastener embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and which obviously may be modified in some particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with the meeting ends of two rails, angle-plates engaging said rails and bridging the joint between them, non-rotatable bolts extending through said plates and rails, a bar bearing against the face of one of the angle-plates and provided with one or more longitudinal grooves in its face, having enlargements, and with longitudinal slots opening into said groove or grooves and engaging said bolts, and nuts engaging said bolts and adapted to lit snugly in said groove or grooves.

2. The combination with the meeting ends of two rails, angle-plates engaging said rails and bridging the joint between them, non-rotatable bolts extending through said plates and rails, a bar bearing against the face of one of the angle-plates and provided with one or more longitudinal grooves in its face, having enlargements, and with longitudinal slots opening into said groove or grooves and engaging said bolts, said bar being formed with wedge portions which increase in thickness, at opposite sides of said slots, from the enlargements of the groove or grooves, and nuts engaging said bolts and adapted to fit snugly in said groove or grooves.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN FIDLER.

Witnesses:

W. R. CoULsoN, E. D. BRADFORD. 

